The second France goal in their 4-2 win came when a flick-on from Samuel Umtiti struck the left arm of Ivan Perisic in the Croatia area.

Argentine referee Nestor Pitana did not award a penalty but, after consulting with the VAR, he then watched it back on a monitor and changed his mind, awarding a spot-kick that Antoine Griezmann scored to give his side a 2-1 lead.

“France have been one of the favourites to win the World Cup and they did. But nobody understands the rules,” said Lovren. “Our guy couldn’t possibly react so why did the referee give it?

“Of course [VAR] needs to improve. Sometimes it is a penalty and sometimes not. I really don’t understand. A lot of people say it’s not a penalty but what can we do now?”